Atypical
by decuvieri
Summary: Roy and Garth were already broken up. Fate decided that wasn't good enough. Third installment of the Disquietude Arc.
1. Curse

**Category:** Teen Titans  
**Warnings:** Language, Slash content  
**Genre:** Drama, Angst  
**Notes:** Connects to Trepidation and Susceptibility.  
**Summary:** Roy and Garth were already broken up. Fate decided that wasn't good enough.

Atypical

That Thursday had started out like any other. It was a cloudy day in Steel City. People went to work. Traffic became congested. A bank was being robbed. Somebody called the Teen Titans.

Though not the same imposing threat as Slade was to Titans West, The Medium had become a name that Bumblebee and her team were growing increasingly familiar - and cautious - with. A summoner of malevolent spirits, The Medium was quickly becoming one of Titans East's top bad guys with his sneaky tactics and incapacitating spellwork.

"Hold it right there!"

The Medium, a thin, lanky individual, stepped away from his current task: holding a sack open for multiple bundles of airborne ectoplasm to drop their collected bundles of cash into. He shot a look over his shoulder lazily.

"Oh, hello, Aqualad. Mas and Menos. Fine day, isn't it?"

The Atlantean prince and preteen twins didn't join in on his easygoing demeanor.

"To put you in jail? Yes, I think we all agree."

"So, my seafaring friend, where are Bumblebee and Speedy? They're usually accompanying you when you try to foil my plans," mused The Medium. Without any concern he continued to hold open the expansive bag, and the balls of lost souls continued to bring him cash.

"If it's any business of your's they are handling a sewer monster sighting downtown. It's just us today," teased the Atlantean. This must have been the signal for attack, for at that moment Mas and Menos clapped their hands together.

"¡Mas y Menos¡ Si podemos!" they declared proudly in unison, and in a flash the two boys sped towards the perpetrator boldly.

"Lost Souls!" ordered The Medium, "Attack!"

It had taken the Titans a few fights to figure out how to fight the undead balls of energy. Speedy's arrows had flown right through them, they were immune to Bumblebee's electricity, and they passed through Aqualad's walls of water with ease. They seemed totally impervious to physical harm, so the team reasoned that by taking out the villain who summoned them first would put the souls at rest. Besides, at their worst the balls of ectoplasm caused only a slight shock and violent chills so they were easy enough to ignore.

Just go for The Medium, Aqualad coached himself. Nearby was a fire hydrant, probably the most powerful source of water for blocks. The local fire department had begun to show disgruntlement at how often they had to come and reseal hydrants that Aqualad destroyed around the city so he'd been trying to go easy on them, but against this villian the situation called for it. With just a little concentration the teen had built up enough force within the hydrant that it quite literally exploded.

_Fire Marshall's going to give me quite a lecture for that._

Mas and Menos easily wove between the hostile Lost Souls, finally making their way to The Medium. The criminal had more defence than just a few bundles of dead life forms, however, and with a sudden explosion of spiritual energy the twins were sent flying back.

Aqualad had their backs with a constant flow of freshwater from the street. With all the energy he could pack behind it he slammed the serpent of water into the unsuspecting Medium, forcing the robber into a far wall and driving him into it relentlessly. This gave the twins the time they needed to recouperate and gather their bearings.

The Medium was not the only person who could be caught off guard, though. Aqualad hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings, giving one of the Lost Souls the chance to sneak up on him from behind. It floated through the Atlantean, delivering icy chills into his body and shattering his focus. The steady flow from the hydrant lost its direction and fell to the ground, flooding the sidewalk.

The barrage of water ended, and the Medium was able to free himself. With a grunt of annoyance he got up and snatched the bag of loot once more.

"Aqualad, you aren't looking too good, if I do say so," sneered the thief, sopping wet to the bone.

The Titan was too busy shivering in an attempt to warm up. He was cold-blooded, sure, but the temperature drop nearly sent the Atlantean into shock. "…C-c-cold…"

"No offense, but you look a little scrawny. Have you lost weight?"

He had. A lot of weight, actually. His appetite seriously declined after his nasty separation with the heart breaker Speedy, prompting Bumblebee to wonder what had happened to her team under the surface that was causing them to fall apart. That was why she stopped sending him and Speedy out on missions together: they needed to work out their issues before they could show results.

The problems between the archer and Atlantean wouldn't be worked out in the near future.

Aqualad's teeth were chattering uncontrollably. His muscles stiffened against his will in a last-ditch effort to conserve heat while his body functions began to slow, and the Atlantean had to fight just to stay standing. It was due to this Aqualad was oblivious to the devilish Medium's approach, money sack in hand and Lost Souls floating haphazardly about.

"I suppose I should have told you that I've spent a good deal of time improving my channeling abilities. You'll find my Lost Souls pack a bit more of a punch than before," teased the robed figure as he hovered dangerously close to the Atlantean, "I should also mention that I've increased my skills above conjuring simple ectoplasm."

His body began to feel so heavy. Too heavy to hold up anymore, and finally gravity won out in pulling Aqualad's form to the indifferent paved road. With his vision going dark there was no way for him to see what kind of spell The Medium was beginning to chant not an arm's length away.

"¡Señor Aqualad!"

In the time that Aqualad had been unfairly overcome and The Medium ruthlessly taunted his helpless form, Mas and Menos had collected their senses and evaluated the situation. Their teammate was in immediate danger of being blasted by the eerie light forming in The Medium's motioning palms. Mas and Menos clapped their hands together and dashed straight ahead.

"_-Alcrio!_" was the final word out of The Medium's mouth before two things happened: the energy he had conjured was let loose upon Aqualad, firing straight down upon the Atlantean with bone-breaking force. The blue-clad Titan's limp body flew several feet, landed with a sickening _thud_ and rolled to a stop. Second, Mas and Menos, just moments too late to prevent the brutal attack, charged The Medium and tackled him to the ground.

The twins encircled the criminal rapidly, taking every chance to kick and hit him while he was down until, finally, the older man conceded defeat. Unconscious, The Medium's face kissed the ground not far away from the cash he had stolen and the souls he'd forcefully enslaved dissapated into thin air. Mas gave him one final kick for good measure.

Menos grabbed his brother's shoulder, clearly concerned. "Aqualad. Él está lastimado."

They ran for the downed teen. He wasn't moving, which was enough to scare them. Of the Titans East Aqualad was the strongest and most durable, by far. They had never seen him get knocked down for any length of time before he launched himself back into the fight.

Menos leaned down and turned Aqualad on his back. The first sign of life: the Atlantean visibly cringed.

"¡Ayúdenos!" Mas called into the emptied city streets. Off in the distance rang police sirens, and with them would surely be an ambulance, but he had to try. "¡Alguien llama nueve-uno-uno!"

* * *

Bumblebee left Aqualad's room quietly, carefully examining the thermometer that she had just used to take his temperature. She wasn't sure what was considered to be normal temperature for a cold blooded humanoid, but she was pretty sure that it should be higher than 57 degrees in a room that was cranked up to a broiling 84. As a biologist she knew that such a temperature could be extremely dangerous. 

She'd retrieved the space heaters from her and the twins' bedrooms and put them on their highest setting. On top of that Aqualad was swaddled in two fleece throws beneath his usual comforter. He was sweating profusely, yet the tips of his fingers were still icy cold. Bumblebee bit her bottom lip and reached for her communicator.

"Speedy, pick up." A few moments of staring at a blank screen, then flash: there was the masked archer. "You know where those old electric blankets are?"

The wire-woven blankets had been put into storage for the winter, but there was a lot of storage in the Titans East tower and Bumblebee hadn't been the one to put them away. Speedy shook his head.

"No idea."

"Great," huffed the young woman, "I'm gonna go down and look. Do me a favor and keep an eye on Al."

He didn't say anything that would indicate that he would rather not have that responsibility, but Bumblebee saw it. He and Aqualad had been going on their third week of ruthless silent treatment for whatever inane reason but she didn't care. Speedy could get over his issues for this.

"Whatever."

"Thank you," she said with a mock-sweetness before abruptly flicking her communicator off.

Once he was sure she was disconnected Speedy hissed, "Bitch."

The attack was not truly personal. Roy Harper had become quite skilled at hating the world lately, what with his reinstated singleness and increasingly consuming addiction. His temper was completely askew, making his old fiery attitude seem like he used to be an aspiring minister.

He was mostly angry at himself for loosing control as badly as he had. Garth had been right: he didn't have so much as a grasp on his life. That made the archer even angrier.

Presuming Bumblebee would have just been tending to Aqualad, Speedy went first to the kitchen. He'd missed lunch. Not that he had an appetite in any sense of the word, but he had to start gaining some weight. The drugs had put him down eighteen pounds to date. Plus, he looked like shit. Another thing Garth had been right about.

Aside from him the common room had been abandoned while Bumblebee scoured the basement and the twins were out in search of Steel City's local healer, an Honorary Titan by the name of Shaman. Shaman had a habit of randomly blinking out of reality and appearing totally elsewhere, however, which could lead to some difficulty in tracking him down. He was also The Medium's biggest enemy with the ability to utterly disable the thief's powers, but to date Shaman hadn't been able to put The Medium down for good.

In the fridge there was nothing appetizing. A few slices of pizza from a two days before, some chicken nuggets leftover from Mas' takeout lunch yesterday, and Bumblebee's gross light yogurt. With resignation Speedy pulled out the chicken nuggets. Mas wasn't going to eat them anyway.

He closed the fridge, turned on a heel and nearly jumped out of his own skin. Funny. Speedy didn't recall hearing anyone sneak up behind him, far be it the less-than-stealthy Aqualad.

"I thought you were incapacitated?" Speedy gave the other a hairy once-over from behind his mask. From what Bumblebee had been saying it sounded like the Atlantean had been dying, but here he looked fine. Way to over exaggerate things.

The dark-eyed boy's thin lips slowly curled into a tight smile. "Was."

His inhuman physique had bestowed Aqualad with strength far beyond that of any human, so it was a simple matter of slamming Speedy into the refrigerator and pinning him there.

Speedy's head thumped against the surface painfully. Irritated, he was about to let fly some choice words at his ex boyfriend but his mouth was suddenly occupied. Seemed his tongue had taken on a mind of its own and wanted to get reacquainted with Garth's. That moment didn't last long before the redhead gathered the necessary strength to force the Atlantean off him. Lips untangled, he was able to immediately begin his rant.

"The fuck is wrong with you? Christ, Bumblebee things you're on your goddamn deathbed, but that's not the problem. You've just lost your mind!"

"Something like that."

"… _What?_" Roy shook his head at Garth chidingly, "Get a grip already, you lunatic!"

"That's why you want to make me jealous?" teased the newly sly Aqualad. Something in his tone began to signal some red flags. "That's why you brought that girl here from the club, then? Slept with her in the room right next to mine. What? Thought it would infuriate me?"

The former prince of Atlantis' eyes narrowed menacingly. It was a trait that Speedy had never seen in his teammate before, ever. Not even when he was at his angriest. But Speedy wouldn't let himself be caught off guard.

"I brought her home because I wanted to," he sneered.

"So you just made a point of making sure I would hear it because you're a sadist?"

"Or maybe it was just because I hadn't had anyone worthwhile since hooking up with you," retorted the archer smugly. This did not have the effect he'd intended, however, as Aqualad's display of fine, perfect teeth only widen.

Then Speedy picked up on it. Garth would have been devastated by this sort of conflict. Right now he only seemed amused. Something was seriously wrong here.

Garth's fist was fast, but not so much that Roy couldn't avoid it. The dexterous archer ducked a second swing from the other clenched fist. All it would take was one good shot and Aqualad would have him out cold, easily. Lucky for Speedy, evasion and putting distance between himself and foes was second nature. A few agile bounds and the two were separated by a few feet. Roy couldn't get over that grin Aqualad was showing off. It reminded him of another ex of his, but Jade was a memory that was too distracting to bring up at the moment. He had to focus.

Aqualad wasn't even fighting like himself. Normally a quick thinker and tactical, he should have predicted one of Speedy's mastered maneuvers: a drop kick threw the Atlantean off his center of gravity, taking out an experienced fighter that normally would have easily dodged it.

Speedy hadn't kicked him that hard but it was enough to send the marine warrior tumbling backwards. Like slow motion, Speedy watched as Aqualad fell unnaturally slowly, clipping his head on the countertop. With a grunt at the pain the Atlantean landed on the floor, stunned. A smear of blood glistened on the counter.

"Oh, shit," Roy swore to himself. He got to his feet instantly and ran to his teammate's side. "Fuck, are you okay, you lunatic?"

Aqualad had slumped to the floor in a mess of hair and limbs. He was conscious but only just barely. Speedy moved him so that he could examine the head wound.

"Roy…" gasped the victim, "…Roy, help…"

"It's okay. Just a little concussion, I swear. You'll be fine," he tried to sound reassuring, but Aqualad shook his head violently. He looked utterly panicked. This scared Speedy because that confident, almost-deviant Aqualad that he had been ten minutes ago had been completely replaced, and this version of the Atlantean seemed to be the more accurate version.

The archer made a quick decision to try and move Aqualad by picking him up as gently as possible and setting him on a sitting position on the counter. Not only was the brunette panicking, but he was beginning to hyperventilate. Speedy briefly wondered how a creature with lungs and gills could not be getting enough air.

"Look at me, Fish Boy," Speedy tried to commandeer Aqualad's frayed attention, "Look at me! You need to regulate your breathing. Come on, take a deep breath. Just breathe."

For some reason or another this was beyond Aqualad's ability: he couldn't calm down at all. His eyes, the dark voids that they always were, were shot with total horror, invoking a wonder if maybe the concussion wasn't the only thing wrong with him.

"Garth, you need to tell me what happened. I can't help if you don't tell me what's going-"

"_No!_" screamed the Atlantean sharply. Speedy jumped. "Get away from me! _Get back!_"

"Talk to me!" he attempted to get some handle on Aqualad's attention, but the wide-eyed Titan was too far gone in his hysteria to be drawn out.

Then something clicked in Garth's mind, and fortunately Speedy caught it not long after: a nearby knife rack had suddenly announced its presence in the kitchen with utter silence. At just the same moment the two teenagers saw it, took split seconds to think about it, and then darted for it in order to beat the other. Aqualad was a fraction of an inch closer to the rack, though, and he was able to snatch one of the blade handles before Speedy was able to stop him. This did nothing to deter the archer from trying to pull the silvery blade away though.

The Atlantean was the stronger of the two, without a doubt. The only reason Speedy was able to yank the struggling brunette to the floor was because he'd lost his balance on the counter and slipped. Speedy was on top of him in a flash of red, using the strength of both his arms to try and subdue Garth's knife-wielding one. The redhead was fighting a losing battle. He needed help.

He chanced sparing a hand to activate his communicator, clicking the power screen on with familiarity. "Bumblebee! Kitchen, now!"

Jesus, he hadn't foreseen any of this bullshit ten minutes ago.

Luckily for Speedy, Bumblebee was the fastest Easterner while in flight. Plus she had already been pretty close to the common room, anyway. The door opened, revealing the black-and-yellow uniformed figure with a heavy blanket in her arms. Also good for Speedy: she was the type to act first, ask questions later. She darted towards the scuffling Titans, dropping the blanket in the process, and took hold of Aqualad. This gave Speedy a chance to go for the weapon he'd had his eye on the entire time.

God, Garth had a good grip. Speedy tried to pry the Atlantean's fingers off the handle one at a time with little success as Bumblebee wrestled him to the floor, twisting Aqualad's arm behind his back. Throughout the entire episode the boy had tears streaming down his face and was yelling an endless string of "No! No! Get off! Let me go!"

Bumblebee was having a difficult enough time just trying to keep Aqualad down on the ground. It was with rising frustration did she snap, "Get that knife away from him today, Speedy!"

"I'm tryng," he grunted in response, "But I can't… Fuck it." With all other options exhausted Speedy resorted to the last ditch effort to loosen Aqualad's grip: he leaned down and bit on his ex's hand with all the force his jaw could muster. Aqualad refused to relinquish the weapon for a few seconds, trying to ignore the feeling of Speedy's spit mingling with his own blood as it ran down the length of his hand, trickling to his wrist. Finally he couldn't bear it anymore and he had to let go. Without thinking the archer snatched the blade and chucked it across the room, far out of reach.

With the object of the scuffle discarded Aqualad seemed to just give up. He fell slack against his friends and ceased struggling. As he sobbed beneath them Speedy and Bumblebee gave one another the same baffled, frightened glance.


	2. Worry

As she gave one last evaluating glance to the statue-like Aqualad on the far side of the roof Raven looked particularly grim. 

Not being able to locate immediate help from Shaman left Titans East with few options. After the incident in the kitchen Bumblebee had made an executive decision and called up their sister tower, informing them that they would be bringing Aqualad to see Raven. Her brevity had let the Titans West know of how critical the situation truly was.

They would have all left at once, but just as Bumblebee started loading up the twins into the T.E. Ship an alarm sounded. Another escaped convict, the Shadow, had taken up to wrecking the far side of town. Rather than subject Aqualad from getting help any longer than necessary Bumblebee directed Speedy to divide the ship into segments and sent him off. This way they got a good head start to the West Coast, bringing the unnaturally silent sea-faring warrior to those who could hopefully help him.

Though conscious, the Atlantean was simply a blank-eyed mannequin for the duration of the trip. He said nothing, did nothing, and shut himself inside his own head. The entire time they were in the East Ship Speedy had developed a nagging sense that he was in the range of a creepy porcelain doll or something of the like. Even after they had arrived the archer couldn't shake the feeling, and Speedy wasted no time in jumping from the cockpit to rejoin the other Titans.

"He's a fuckin' vegetable. Didn't move at all during the whole three hours," said Speedy in a rushed whisper to Robin and Raven, a chill still lingering in his spine.

"I could sense it before you even landed. Something is emitting an energy, a bad one," the witch murmered as Cyborg lifted the Atlantean from his seat. The boy was limp in those metallic arms. "I'll explain it inside."

Though he was keeping a wary eye on the lifeless Titan, Robin nodded and said, "Cyborg's going to take him to the Infirmary. We can talk in the rec room."

They had gone inside, turning left down one hallway as Cyborg took a right, and one by one trickled inside the sunny common room with heavy hearts and burning questions. The circular sofa called to them but no one sat. Robin was leaning against a wall not far from Speedy, whereas Starfire and Beast Boy lurked near Raven. The Azarath native took a deep breath and started.

"I had hoped that what Bumblebee described over the link was a simple matter of enchantment or mind control. That would have been easy enough to remove. However, I've seen this sort of magic before and it does not bode well for us."

"That sounds ominous."

"We're dealing with an otherwordly possession. Aqualad's aura is fragmented and weak, so whatever creature is feeding off of him is doing it rapidly. We need to quickly to determine what this energy leech is and how to get rid of it while there's still time."

"Woah, hold up!" Beast Boy's ears perked beneath tufts of green hair. "Possession? Like as in a _demonic_ possession?"

"It's possible. Or it could be a spirit gone afoul or something else entirely. I don't yet know, which is exactly why we're going to have a rough time rooting the creature out."

"But if the malevolent force was drawn into this world can you not simply force it out in the same way?"

"No, Starfire. You can't just summon a planar creature and have it appear right in front of you," explained the witch, "In our plane of existence a creature, like say a demon, has no corporeal form. It takes incredibly powerful magic to bring a complete demonic body to this world: elaborate rituals, ancient incantations, massive energy reserves. We've had that experience before."

Speedy wasn't sure what she meant by that, so looked to Robin for a more detailed explanation. The Boy Wonder crossed his arms and shifted uncomfortably.

"Raven's father was a demon that transcended into this world by using her as a portal, and even then he was in a weakened state when he got here."

"Trigon took a portion of my mortality to manifest himself in our world. That was seriously intricate magic, but when you've got a simple summoning like what this Medium seems to have performed then you only get the essence of the demon. That essence must embed itself in a host and leech off it to stay in the plane it has been called to."

"So, let me get this straight," Speedy said shortly, "There is a mystical force of unparralelled evil feeding off Aqualad? In what way?"

"The possessed become victims of physical weakness. The demon doesn't know how to nourish its host properly in addition to feeding off spiritual aura, and the host person's health declines as a result. The possession continues until the demonic presence is exorcised or the victim… dies."

"But he broke free of it once! He can get out of this, right?"

Raven's brow furrowed at Speedy. "When was this? What happened?"

"It was how we realized something was wrong: he wasn't acting like himself. He - it - attacked me, but then the real Aqualad broke loose. Well, that's what it seemed like, anyway. He just snapped, grabbed a knife and…" the former apprentice of Green Arrow trailed off silently. Recalling the incident was far harder than he had initially thought. "I don't think he was on the offensive or anything. It seemed more like he was going to... probably hurt himself."

"The thing is living off the energy of Aqualad's life force. The emotional torture likely far surpasses that, however, by causing discord with the victim. The host will feel unbridled grief and hopelessness in the creature's attempt to encourage them to surrender."

Speedy was a bit agitated at how Raven kept things impersonal by continuously calling Aqualad a "victim" and "host".

Robin asked, "For what purpose, though? I mean, if you could take over any person in the world why Aqualad?"

"That's the problem: I haven't any idea. This evil power affecting him seems to have tried to assimilate by living through him, which makes me think he intends to use our friend as a permanent host. Whatever the business this demon has on our plane is an enigma."

"How do we get rid of it? An exorcism?" asked Robin, who had assumed pacing about the room in thought. Raven bit her bottom lip before answering.

"It's not as simple as in the movies. A mind is a complex place: it's a fragile battleground where either side can hide and retreat into. Each one is different and expansive, and I'm afraid that this presence may pretend to be banished, then lurk in Aqualad's mind until it recovers enough power to take him over completely in one strike."

"Like in your mind when Trigon broke loose!" quipped Beast Boy, recalling the incident in which he and Cyborg had accidentally entered Raven's unconscious self, Nevermore. "We were able to hide until we regrouped and could fight him off. Hey, is that what Aqualad is doing now?"

Raven nodded. "I assume he's gone into hiding, gathering his strength while this foreign energy assumes control of his body. My guess is he expended all of his strength trying to break free, then was forced to retreat. He's weak and vulnerable, so we have to act fast."

"What do you need?"

"First, a secure location. He and I will need to be completely isolated for the duration of the ritual."

Starfire cocked her head to one side slightly. "How long could that be?"

"It depends," Raven replied vaguely, "Minutes. Hours. Days. It comes down to how powerful the demonic entity is and how much of Aqualad it has in its control."

"Will it hurt him?" This question was asked by Speedy, sitting with his chin on his clenched fist. No one instantly noticed how his fingernails were drawing blood from his palm. "Aqualad, I mean. Will this hurt whatever is left of him?"

The witch wouldn't make eye contact with him as she thought about her response. It was a long pause until she finally produced an answer to his question. "I don't know."

Speedy knew she was lying.

The former apprentice of Batman changed the subject wisely. "What about the safety chamber that we built to keep Trigon's minions from you? It's probably the most secure room in the tower."

"That'll do. Second, I'll need something to banish the creature to. A statue, a lock box, a necklace, a book; anything. It doesn't matter what, just so long as I have a place to expel it. Otherwise the creature could just jump to another host and we'd have the same problem all over again."

The alien princess gasped excitedly and levitated from her seat. "I believe I possess an object that will suffice. I shall retrieve it," she said, then quickly floated from the room.

"Beast boy," Raven turned to the shape shifter once Starfire had gone, "Tell Cyborg to put Aqualad in the warded chamber. Robin? Speedy?" The masked superheroes looked to her abruptly. A door slid open as Beast Boy left the hub. "Will you help move my spell books downstairs? I'm taking everything, just in case."

"Raven," Speedy started, staring at his own clasped hands, "Stop avoiding it and gave me a straight, no bullshit answer. You gave him a preliminary exam and had to have drawn some conclusions. Tell me, how long do you think this will this take?"

There was no changing the subject or giving either-or answers this time. The Azar witch bowed her head and told him outright, "Based on the sheer strength of the evil presence, I'd say that this fight could last for days, easily."

"And you might not be able to defeat it, correct?"

There was a silence that prompted Robin to shift his weight uncomfortably. Raven conceded, "There is that possibility."

"I see." Speedy stood and looked his fellow Titan straight in the eye; not trying to intimidate, but appearing as though he was fearing anything she might say next. "And the real Aqualad, will this hurt him?"

"Yes, it will. Extensively." Upon hearing this Speedy nodded understandingly, but Raven felt she should drive the point more. "As I fight with the creature it will be drawing energy from Aqualad constantly. Speedy, the demonic force won't kill its own host until it has utter control, but I think you need to become acquainted with the idea that this experience could damage Aqualad so badly that he may never be able to function socially again."

The was no humor in Speedy's rattled chuckle. "What? He'll become insensately?"

"He may become nothing more than a shell of what he once was. On second thought, Speedy, you should go contact Bumblebee. Tell her what's going on, and explain to her everything I've told you. Robin can help me with the my books. Try to hurry, though. We need to move on this quickly."

Speedy hadn't any choice but to follow her directions. He waited for them to leave before turning to the expansive monitor on the far side of the room. This wasn't going to be easy.

The screen flickered as he entered the call recipient's name. How was he going to explain all this? Aqualad was being systematically killed by an ultimate being of evil from another realm of existence? That certainly wouldn't be the bomb she would be expecting him to drop.

"Bumblebee here. What's goin' on?"

"It's me," he sighed, knowing his face would have shown up on her communicator. "Are you sitting down?"

"No, I'm not. Does Raven know what's wrong-"

"Sit down, Bumblebee. Trust me."

---

Everyone had gathered in the watch room above the warded chamber in the time Speedy had made his call to Bumblebee. When he walked in on the group he could feel their worry. He hadn't realized Starfire was floating along right behind him. Naturally, he jumped when she spoke.

"I have retrieved the item to which the creature may be banished," he announced in her perfect dialect, holding up a necklace with a rather impressive green stone. It looked immensely valuable and it seemed out of character for such a simple girl to own the thing.

Robin also took in the sight of the green gem and offered a half-grin. "Who knew something good could come out of that fiasco?"

"My sister may have doted this Centauri diamond upon me with foul intentions, but that does not mean it cannot be used with good ones," replied she, setting the necklace down on the counter.

"Where'd Raven go?"

"She just teleported out. Said she had to get some help but wouldn't drop a name."

"And considering Raven like, practically _wrote_ the book on demons, I can't imagine anyone having more experience than her," mused Beast Boy aloud.

They continued speculating on the identity of this new mystery allie, but Speedy wasn't interested. He couldn't focus or think. His head was beginning to spin with fatigue, but no doubt with some help from the recreational narcotics he'd gotten addicted to. He hadn't used in two days. The backlash was starting to hit. And right on time, it was at that exact moment Robin chose to invade his space.

He wasn't stupid, either. The archer's decline in health had been so abrupt, so obvious that it brought Robin back. Back to a time when it wasn't Batman and Robin, but it was Bruce telling Dick to sit down; they had something very serious to discuss. Back to a conversation about why Roy had broken himself and would no longer be working or living with Ollie. But Roy had bounced back. He'd snapped out of it, got help and got his head back in the game. The guy was a fighter.

And here they were again, years later. It was the same thing happening all over again.

Silence. Then, "Are you alright, Speedy?"

"Fuckin' peachy."

"You look like-"

"I'm fine!" he snapped, causing the white void of Robin's mask to widen in surprise. Then those hidded eyes narrowed, probably in suspicion, and Robin left the archer to his own devices. Speedy noticed that the other Titans were all turned away, pretending that they hadn't taken notice.

Thankfully, like an event queued on a stage, their focus was taken from him and directed towards the growing black space that was beginning to take form in the middle of the room. Funny how it looked like a bird.

Oh. That's why. Raven appeared in the middle of the mass of darkness, a shorter figure holding her hand. He was a blonde kid with some piercing green eyes that he'd seen before. Speedy recognized his face from... It must have been the Brotherhood crisis. There had been a lot of Titans there that he'd met only that one time. He was sure he had been introduced with the kid but couldn't get a recollection of his name. Thankfully because of Raven he didn't need to.

"Say hi, Jericho."

The playful comment was based on the Titan's inability to speak. The young man merely smiled and waved at his fellow crime fighters, all of whom gave him a happy reception.

"Hello, friend Jericho!" exclaimed a delighted Starfire who probably would have launched into the frail newcomer with a bone crushing hug had it not been for Raven, who wisely stepped between the two.

"He breaks easily, Starfire," she reminded her friend. The Tameranean looked baffled for a moment before settling on returning Jericho's wave.

"Glad to see ya, but why bring him into this now?" Cyborg asked.

Raven rested a hand on Jericho's shoulder. "His abilities can help us recover Aqualad… in theory."

The bionic teen leaned in. "So what do you think will be going down here?"

"The best case scenario?" Raven spared a glance at her partner, "I will be able to force the entity out of the conquered areas of Aqualad's mind. Jericho will follow up by using his powers of possession to reclaim portions of our friend. This will keep the creature from just taking back territory. It will also save me a lot of energy and lessen the chance that we'll loose control of the fight."

It all seemed too optimistic to the rather depressive Speedy. "And worst case?"

The thing about Raven Roth was that she was brutally honest at times. "In the event that the creature exceeds our expectations it may have already defeated its host and simply aims to lure Jericho and myself into the deepest regions of Aqualad, trap us, and destroy our consciences thus making all three of us cease to be."

"Oh, that's not a deterrent from jumping head-on into this," Robin remarked unhappily. He began to pace, arms crossed and a deep scowl giving a clear indication of just what he thought about this course of action. His show, hoever, did little to disuade Raven.

"I've already discussed this with Jericho," she assured, "We both understand the risks."

"The risks, maybe," said Robin darkly, "but do you understand the consequences?"

"If you had this power you would do it in a heartbeat." She had cornered him with a simple comment, and the Boy Wonder could not bring himself to deny that accusation.

"And what can we do to assist you from the outside?" inquired the Tameranian princess with an eagerness to help.

Jericho smiled, but it seemed to hint at a concealed sadness. Raven answered, "You can't do a thing."


	3. Fears

Walking into the warded chamber after Raven had moved in and set up for the ritual was like wandering into a long forgotten library. The witch had an impressive array of books scattered about, their only organization being that there was a walkway from the door to the table on which Aqualad lay.

Speedy had been expecting some sort of elaborate scene, like hundreds of candles dotting the room and chalked pentagrams on the floor or something. There was none of this, making the archer feel like maybe he was out of his element here. Maybe his definition of "ritual" had been too strongly influenced by made-for-TV-Halloween-movies.

It was deathly quiet in the chamber despite eight people dwelling within. Raven, tome in hand, was pointing out something to Jericho in the text. Whether or not the guitarist actually got the point of their conversation or was just pretending to was unknown, but since Speedy didn't know him to be a caster of spells he doubted Jericho's knowledge spanned that far. The mute was nodding comprehensively to this regardless, and no one seemed anxious to disturb them.

...Except for Speedy, who became immensely angry upon seeing the restraints holding Aqualad's lifeless limbs in place.

"Those fuckin' necessary?" he demanded of the group. Solemn looks were the initial response.

"You said it yourself, Speedy," Raven reminded him, "The entity has taken control of Aqualad's body before. It attacked _you_, even. So, yes, these bonds are necessary to protect both us and Aqualad."

"He's not a god damn animal!" he insisted.

"None of us wish to see friend Aqualad in this state," the Tameranian princess tried to offer her sympathy, "but it would not be wise to take no precautions. Please try to be at ease."

Perhaps the most antsy of the group was Cyborg. Magic was not his bag of tricks, and naturally such intricate power made him feel nervous. "Yo, how long's this gonna take?"

"A few incantations will bring myself and Jericho into Aqualad's unconscious world. From there it all depends on what we find within."

"Let's hope it's not much. If things start getting to tight you two will have to play it smart. Use your judgement, and if things become too dangerous pull out. We'll have to find another way," said Robin.

_There's no time to find another way!_ Speedy wanted to argue, but because Starfire's warm palm was still firmly squeezing his shoulder he bit his tongue.

"We'll be careful." It seemed to be the final queue, for with that Raven sat in her levitation and rested the thick book upon her lap. Jericho slowly rested his hand atop Aqualad's chest. "Put the necklace next to Aqualad in case the essence is forced out. Unlikely, but just in case."

All directions were completed. Following that came a deep breath, a hard swallow. Then Raven started loudly and clearly, "Here we go. Nerich, avouledran terendrumas…"

And by the telling of Jericho's sudden absence and Raven's slumping forward it was obvious her spell had succeeded.

---

Raven and Jericho found themselves in a totally alternate world. Having come from the exotic planar city of Azarath Raven wasn't too stunned by what she saw. Jericho was another story.

"This place is beautiful," he murmured in awe, no longer impeded by the limitations of his physical body.

Indeed, this city that Aqualad had subconsciously formed was quite an impressive sight. There was no existing architecture on the surface world with which to compare to the buildings and streets of the area, but probably what was most astonishing was the fact that the entire complex seemed to be in an undersea dome. The artificial sky was dark with the world beyond beyong an eternally empty ocean that was dark and unending.

"I wonder if this is what Atlantis is like?" Jericho continued to muse, but Raven was a bit more focused than he. She pointed to the west to bring her companion back to the task at hand.

"Look. It seems like that may be the trouble neighborhood we're looking for," she remarked, though it hardly needed to be said. Despite all the beautifully crafted buildings, statues and cobblestone streets a darkness hung over the distance with an obvious malevolence.

"So, do we jump right on into the fray or do we stop and look for Aqualad first?"

"We could spend days looking for Aqualad in this city and get nowhere as the monster grows in strength. We have to go for the source of this evil; there will be time to look for him later."

Jericho heard her reasoning and took a deep breath. "Well, once more into the breach, as they say."

Raven grabbed Jericho's wrist and hovered above the ground, moving far more quickly than they would have on foot. Indeed, she had suspected correctly that the object of their search was in the western potion of the city: the buildings made a quick change from elaborate and well crafted to gothic and distorted. Towers leaned heavily to their sides in ways that would have defied earth gravity, and the streets became pitched with holes and crevices that dropped into a black oblivion.

"The damage done to this place is incredible! How long has he been possessed?"

"Bumblebee said the fight happened this morning. About ten or eleven hours, I guess. That such harm happened over the course of a few hours should give us an idea of what we're facing, so keep a sharp eye out. Odds are the beast will try to take us out from behind."

"That's a reassuring thought."

Raven snorted and raised an eyebrow. "What part of this whole ordeal did you think was going to be safe?"

"You can't blame me, Raven. I was _born_ blonde."

---

Robin looked at the clock for the umpteenth time. He was getting testy upon seeing that an eternity had passed in only two hours.

Aqualad had shown no signs of whatever was happening within. Beast Boy wondered if he was maybe involved in the fight like Raven had been in Nevermore, or maybe they had sent him to hide? Probably. If Aqualad went down, so did Raven and Jericho.

Starfire clutched Silkie, the obliviously happy larvae, in her arms protectively. Next to them was Cyborg, looking very much as though he wanted to punch a hole through the wall.

And last there was Speedy, hand resting on the cold metal table just far enough from Aqualad's that their skin did not touch. There were a few moments when he was subtly flick his fingers out to make contact, though. The wait was becoming too much. It was probably killing both of them but in very different ways.

Bumblebee had called back, reminding him that he'd forgotten torelay that Raven had started the exorcism. She just wanted to say they had about three hours left on their flight. Speedy told them not to rush. Not much had been happening since the spell had begun.

The Titans became aware of the ritual's end by the occurrence of three things: first, Raven's peaceful body jolted violently, wavered in midair for a moment, then tumbled to the floor with a light _thud_. Second, Jericho's corporeal form reappeared over the worn out body of Aqualad, panting and woozy from the unanticipated departure from his host. Finally, and probably the most clear giveaway for the Titans, was the fact that the Atlantean in question snapped back to consciousness, writhed in his bonds and gasped desperately to fill his lungs with air. Speedy instinctively jumped back in alarm.

Jericho weakly rolled off Aqualad. Starfire leaped into action just in time to not allow the guitarist to follow Raven to the floor. Speedy was just barely quick enough to catch himself before he yelled out Aqualad's real name in front of everyone present.

The archer was at Aqualad's side, running his fingers through his ex's black hair soothingly. He didn't care if the others all magically figured out the relationship that the two had been in: that was always _Garth's_ insecurity. What made Roy inwardly laugh at himself was how he had been trying so fiercely to convince himself he didn't need Garth. What a dumb ass notion that was.

Aqualad moaned tiredly, and the question of its authenticity hung heavily above the group.

Starting to collect herself after the fall, Raven confirmed his identity. "It _is_ Aqualad. We were able to subdue the creature: it should be out of control for a while."

Speedy looked at Cyborg expectantly, and reassured that they were in no danger the brief leader of Titans East began entering the numerical sequence that would undo the bonds. If Speedy's focus hadn't been on Aqualad he would have heard the exchange between Raven and Robin.

"You couldn't expel this thing?"

"The presence has been concealing its true level of strength all along. It nearly had Jericho and myself pinned down. We were able to weaken it enough that it fled, but who knows for how long?"

"Do you think you'll be able to destroy it?"

"I… need to rest, but I know I can do it with Jericho at my back. I just need to review some spells."

Skeptical, he attacked the weakness in her voice. "You don't sound entirely sure of that."

Jericho was becomming coherent enough to stand on his own, but he was still willed himself to keep out of the discussion. Whatever Raven was doing he didn't want to get in her way by visably flinching at whatever tales she was spinning for the sake of her friends.

"We took some hits," said the Azar witch with finality, "but now we know its weakest point, and once we've rested we can attack again."

Starfire appeared next to Speedy, Silkie perched atop her shoulder. The Tameranian nudged the archer gently with her elbow. "Is our friend beginning to wake?"

"I think so," was the absent reply, "Just give him a few minutes."

Aqualad was just beginning to crack his heavy eyes open, not yet comfortable with the light of the room. His jaw was clenched and lip quivered from the coldness he felt, but he was rapidly comming to. The feeling of some one's hand wrapped around his icy fingertips was comforting enough to further draw him from his hibernation.

"That's probably a good idea," Robin agreed, beginning to usher members of his team out of the warded chamber with some suspicion. He had seen Speedy's tenderness around his team mate, and not even the culturally impaired Starfire would have been able to overlook the behavior with no question. So, somebody _had_ understood the reason for Speedy's close proximity to Aqualad. "Let's give them some space."

Speedy thought Robin sounded a little resentful, but he didn't care.


	4. Waver

Cyborg had, at Speedy's behest, unlocked the restraints that bound Aqualad. They proved to be ultimately pointless solely because Aqualad was too weak to really move from where he was. When Cyborg's heavy footsteps had faded away it was a fight for the Atlantean to merely brush cold fingers against Speedy's chin.

"Is this real?" Aqualad's voice was so faint and the question so obscure that Speedy had to have him repeat it. "Is this real, or are you just another illusion?"

"Real as they get, Fish Stick."

Garth looked into Roy's mask and tried to evaluate if the teen just a few inches from his face was the genuine thing. He touched Roy's face again, still tentative.

"Prove it," he demanded. Roy raised an eyebrow but obliged. He pulled down the glove on his left forearm, revealing a number of damning scars. He flushed, but Aqualad took a perverse sigh of relief at seeing them.

"Memories of you are the only things I won't let it get to. The last time it tried to mimic you it didn't know about the marks," he explained.

"You get to control what the demon finds out?"

The blue-clad Titan sort of shrugged indifferently. "I can hide little things if I try hard enough, but it knows about… what we were before."

Since he obviously was going to say "about us" Speedy decided to stray away from the subject. He took Aqualad's hand and clenched it, warming it. "Look, we're going to get you out of this. All you got to do is hang out for a bit and we're all in the clear."

"Blind optimism isn't something I thought I'd ever hear from you."

"Well, Raven seemed pretty sure about the situation."

"So she didn't tell you that it discovered my hiding place then?" Aqualad blinked slowly and looked away, his muscles resisting every slight movement. He wondered if maybe he could at least pick his head up off the table. Despite the effort his neck wouldn't show results. He groaned pathetically.

"No, she didn't say… But what does it matter? The next time she goes after it you'll be free of this thing forever, so why hide?"

"Roy, I could hear Raven fighting with it, and I was afraid she was losing… I went out to try to look for her; to try to help. The thing saw me, and now it knows where I was hiding. I've got no where else to go to get away."

"Even if you do have to lurk around for a bit there has to be someplace left that you can use." Speedy brushed Aqualad's long hair back over his shoulder. In happier times the Atlantean loved it when Speedy played with his hair, but now his dark eyes were empty and almost lifeless. "Garth, you're probably the smartest person I've ever known. You can figure something out. Outwit it somehow. I know you can."

"I can't. You don't understand what it's like in there. I'm nothing compared to it. There's just no way that I-"

"Stop talking like that. Just… **stop**. Raven said the demon would make you feel like that so you would give up more easily, so quit giving in. You're here now and you're alive, which means there's still hope. Raven and Jericho will help you fight the thing and get it out."

"Raven and Jericho are as useless as a bunch of sticks and there's nothing they can do."

Speedy grabbed Aqualad's arms and forcefully turned the withering boy so that their faces were literally inches apart. Speedy hissed, "Shut up! I will not give up on you! Raven said she had gained some ground that last time! She can expel-"

"Roy, Raven _lied_."

"She… what?" The archer realized his grip on Aqualad was so tight that it was doing him pain. He eased up and tried to calm himself while Aqualad shook his head. Tendrils of black strands fell in front of his face messily.

"If anything, the demonic force absorbed her spells and turned the magic against her. She gave everything she had in one last attack, but it only hurt the creature. It'll be back, it'll be stronger, and I won't be able to get away."

"If she gave all she got then we'll have to give her more firepower. Raven Roth can't be the only witch with knowledge about demonology in the neighborhood. We'll find some one, I promise."

"Do you know what that thing does to me? It taunts me constantly, giving me every detail about how it is going to use my powers to kill my family. The twins. Bumblebee. Raven. You. It puts images in my head," Aqualad paused to look at his own shaking, bony hands, "Even now it's in the back of my mine, making me imagine hurting you. Try to understand, Roy. I'm not afraid of dying. My only fear is the idea that I'm putting everyone in danger. I won't let anyone be the hero." He hesitated a moment before adding the striking blow. "Roy, if you ever loved me you'll support me in this."

It was a hard thing to swallow, and as the tightening in Speedy's throat grew more prominent he pulled Aqualad to him and hugged the other lovingly. He couldn't help it. Tears welled in his eyes and trickled down his cheek against his will, splashing down onto the Atlantean's shirt. If the wet spots soaking into his clothing didn't inform Aqualad that his ex was crying then the massive sob that escaped from the archer surely did.

In one of his last shows of emotion Aqualad rested a hand on Speedy's back and scratched it soothingly. "I'm sorry, Roy. You deserved more."

"Don't. I was the one who fucked up my chance at being with such a perfect guy, right?"

"Promise me you'll stop doing the drugs."

"Never again."

"And swear you'll never eat anymore fish."

Speedy smirked through his tears. "Hm. You know I can't give you that."

"Thought I would at least try." Aqualad tiredly pulled away from the archer and brushed the hair from his face. Speedy realized he'd been crying, too. "We should go talk to the others. I don't know how much longer I'll have control and there are a lot of people to get a hold of, you know."

He tried to get up on faltering legs. Speedy had to offer his hand for support. "I'll set up a link back to East. Twins and Bumblebee'll want to talk to you."

"Okay." The outcast prince took a deep breath and gave Speedy one final regard in the privacy of the quiet room.

The door hissed closed behind him, and trailing that was the noise of a heavy lock moving into place. Feeling more sure than ever Speedy took off down the hall in search of Raven.

---

Most of them were in the observation deck that overlooked the warded chamber. The few Titans that weren't there were with Aqualad.

Cyborg had built the restraint table with the best of alloys. A lot of work had gone into the makeshift prison to resist any force, even containing Aqualad's inhuman strength. A lot of work. He locked another restraint around Aqualad's upper arm, further securing him to the table once more.

"You look like you're playing the role of the grim executioner, Cyborg," whispered the victim as playfully as a dying warrior could. The mechanoid bit his lower lip.

"I feel like it, man."

"You're a great teacher. If we hadn't been so busy screwing around Titans East could have learned something from you."

The last lock went around Aqualad's left wrist. It's click echoed in the spacious room with finality.

"You learned everything I had to teach and then you improved on it." Cyborg rested his metallic hand upon his friends shoulder. He couldn't make eye contact, though. Something in him wouldn't let it happen. "You, uh… You sure you don't want something to eat at all? I could get Starfire to, you know…"

Aqualad couldn't shake his head because of once of the braces. He had to make it verbal. "If this demon is getting my body I'm going to put it in the worst condition possible: tired, hungry, and having to piss really bad."

This elicited a bark of dry laughter from Cyborg despite the heaviness in his chest. The moment didn't last long, because there was a sense within him to try and talk some sense into his friend. Aqualad always was an extremely grounded person and his decision to let go without a fight seemed so unnatural.

"Al, why won't you let Raven and Jericho-"

"Because it hurts, and I won't put anyone in a dangerous position for my sake. You understand this."

"Yeah. But understanding and accepting are two totally different things."

"I'm not afraid of what's going to happen," assured the brunette comfortingly, "We Atlanteans are always returned to the cycle of life. We live on. Death isn't an end."

Try as he might, these words did little to help Cyborg move from 'understanding' to 'accepting'. He had to pry himself away from the table that he had built, nodded his goodbye, and left before he started crying, too. Weeping over a guy that wasn't yet dead wouldn't do anyone any good, so his silent farewell was all he could give.

Cyborg left the warded chamber with the hiss of a hydraulic door, the loud clank of the lock automatically sealing behind him. Aqualad sighed and whispered after him, "Goodbye, Cyborg."

---

"I can't to that, Speedy," Raven was trying to convince the archer, a look of concern and apprehension in her eyes. "He explicitly stated that we were not to involve ourselves in this fight again."

"He explicitly said that to _you_. I wasn't involved in that contract. And, come on, I know deep down you don't want to roll over."

"It's still deceitful. I gave him my word, and who are we to interfere with his last request?" she snapped, a rise of anger beginning to surge within the depths of her chest. She had to focus on harnessing that emotion before it escaped, resulting in another injured Titan. "And to be perfectly honest, I feel he's right. That entity is immensely powerful, and even if we did face it again I can't be entirely sure that we have a chance of defeating it."

"No one can ever be entirely sure of the outcome of a fight! Anything can happen by sheer luck! I mean, fuck, The Medium wasn't even a particular enemy of ours until all this happened!" The redhead's heart was racing; his breathing came in heavy pants. He hadn't meant to become so worked up, but his ability to control his behavior wasn't improving under stress.

"Speedy, I'm going to let you on in a little secret," taunted the witch monotonously. Speedy felt a little nervous. "I don't broadcast it, but I am actually empathic. Do you know what that is?"

"Yeah. You sense things in other people, like emotions."

Her tone softened considerably. "I know you love him, and I know you want to protect him even at risk of getting yourself hurt. But Speedy, he feels the exact same way about you, and about everyone else. He will not permit us to put ourselves in danger for him."

"Raven, if you can feel the kind of emotion I've got for that stupid, self sacrificing pessimist then you'd understand that I'm just as willing to go down _with_ him as I am _for_ him," the eyeless mask hung heavily towards the floor, "I can't ask you to go in with me, and I won't, but I can't just sit back and let this all happen."

She ran her hand through her hair anxiously and bit down on her bottom lip, not feeling her teeth cutting the gentle flesh. Speedy softly took her by the shoulders and swallowed his pride. He begged her.

"Please, Raven. Don't make me watch him die."

With a sigh of resignation the spell caster closed her eyes and gave herself over. There was no denying the strong bond between Speedy and Aqualad, nor was there fighting the feeling of obligation to not stop fighting for one of her friends.

"If we do this we'll do it on **my** terms. The others won't know about it, Jericho comes with us and we fight with everything that we have," she paused dramatically, "But, Speedy, the moment that the battle turns so far against us that we can no longer convince ourselves that we can prevail I **will** take us out, no warning and no questions asked. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly. Problem will be getting the others to not notice us subtly reinitiating this ritual. You'd think they might pick up on the reason for the chanting."

"We'll figure it out," she dismissed the problem easily. Still, she appeared more gloomy than what Speedy was used to. He was afraid maybe she needed a confidence boost.

"Hey, you're doing the right thing here. Thank you."

"What? Oh. _Oh_, it's not that. I was just wondering why all the cute guys are either taken or gay."

"Or possessed by demons," he tacked on lightly.

Without cracking a smile she concluded with, "Or all of the above. Starfire'd be crushed. Regardless, we should go find Jericho. I'm sure he's waiting for me to come find him for this sort of purpose, the smug mute."

---

They had crowded in the unlit room that overlooked the warded chamber. Though there was ample space in the hub the Titans had unconsciously clumped together here, giving secretive bumps and touches to one another to let them for a needed feeling of togetherness. All except for Speedy, who was sitting against a wall on the far side of the room.

They were waiting for a lot of things. Waiting for Bumblebee and the twins to get there. Waiting for Aqualad. Seconds ticked on slowly, not giving anyone a sense that time was, in fact, moving forward.

Raven would soon be putting Aqualad in a persistent unconscious state, explaining this would make his looming departure physically peaceful despite whatever would be happening in his mind. If the Atlantean did not survive the witch would command the weakened demonic creature into the Centauri moon diamond where it could be contained and locked away forever.

Or so most of the Titans believed.

Raven came up on the group quietly, a book in hand. "I found the spell that will put him at ease," she whispered, "but I'll need you with me, Jericho. And Speedy? He… Aqualad wants you to be there as well."

The two boys pretended to be surprised by this requirement of their presence, but it was all staged and rehearsed. This was the only way to pull the two away from the rest of the group without drawing suspicion to themselves. And it seemed to have worked: everyone just looked as though they were attending a funeral, which meant that no one was about to contest this. The archer and guitarist left without harassment.

After they had gone Robin crossed his arms and stared at the ceiling. How could this be happening? A Teen Titan was about to die, all because he tried to stop a bank heist!

Because he was doing what they did every day.

It could just as easily been anyone else. Another East member; one of the many Honorary Titans; it could have been Beast Boy or Starfire. Instead it was probably one of the most indefatigable, legendary heroes of their generation. He was one of the good guys, so how could he possibly lose?

Angry, Robin made his way across the room to the bay window. He wanted to punch the glass and make it shatter. Wanted to, but refrained.

He looked down to where Raven, Speedy and Jericho were all gathered around Aqualad. The Atlantean was not awake, so must have been unaware of Jericho's hand resting on his own. Speedy's head was bowed, and in a rare show of pity Raven had held his hand. How could all of this be happening?

Robin had caught on to Speedy's intimacy with the wounded Aqualad, and even though the Boy Wonder couldn't agree with what was clearly going on it was not his place nor was it the time for him to voice his opinion. He tried to compare their situation to his and Starfire's but it did little to set his mind at ease. Aqualad may have been able to alleviate Speedy's reckless nature, but them being a_ thing_ would definately cause more problems than it would solve.

Why was Raven levitating? The spell was over, so why…?

"Oh, no," Robin murmured in horror as realization struck him like a bolt of lightening. He slammed his palms against the glass, but none of the three Titans below looked up as Raven completed the ritual.


	5. Fight

A/N: Felt as though it was necessary that I give the readers a heads-up: this chapter contains quite a bit of character angst, and since flames are damaging to my already dwindling self-confidence I would appreciate that those be withheld. Or, if you are absolutely compelled, go ahead. Sigh.

---

The transition from reality to unconsciousness had been seamless and very unlike what Speedy had been expecting. It was as if he had simply blinked and the world reformed around him. And it was quite an eye catching world. Speedy had seen Lord of the Rings once, and if elves lived under water then maybe this is what their cities would look like.

"So this is the mind of an intellectual," he said with awe.

Jericho shrugged a shoulder and smiled. "It makes you wonder what your own unconscious world looks like, doesn't it?"

"I have one of these?" asked Speedy, surprised.

"As much as I'd love to listen to you both gibber on about alternate unrealities, we do have to get a move on if we want to save your boyfriend, Speedy."

The archer automatically shot Raven a glare, forgetting temporarily the immense gratitude he owed her for stretching her neck out for Aqualad's sake. "He's not my boyfriend!" he growled, but Raven had already taken off down the street. With resignation he ran to catch up, Jericho bringing up his right side.

'Boyfriend' was never a term which he had used to define his relationship with Garth. It just didn't fit.

"Friends with benefits?" Jericho offered too sweetly.

"If it's your business, he's my ex, alright? Problem with that?"

Contrary to the reaction Speedy had been trying for, the guitarist simply held up his hands in a surrender and smiled brightly, panting all the way. "Not at all, sexy. You're… just fun to bait."

Speedy grumbled some obscenities under his breath, "…Damn mute. Hey… How're you not... a mute anymore?"

"It took you long enough… to realize this."

Raven had taken to levitating overhead rather than running through the cobbled streets, so her breath was less labored than the boys'. "He is perfectly capable of speaking every thought that comes to his mind in unconsciousness. What's amazing is the fact that he never stops."

Speedy snickered, "We'd been wondering why you guys hadn't hooked up."

Raven's blue eyes rolled with exasperation, but Jericho seemed to find a great deal of humor in this. Unfortunately, it was difficult for him to laugh and breathe at the same time and he nearly choked.

They continued on in silence for a few moments more until Raven broke the stillness with, "That's it, just up ahead!"

The darkness hardly needed introduction from the witch though: even the inexperienced Speedy could easily tell the abrupt change from elegant architecture to what could only be described as a distorted funhouse mirror. The angles that some of the building stood and arched would never have been able to hold in any real setting, and the tops of these black stoned houses wove an urban canopy overhead, blocking out whatever light source that illuminated the rest of the city.

Speedy reached for his bow and realized that he was the only one present who was armed with a weapon. He wondered if it would even do him any good.

"What are we up against, exactly?"

"I didn't want to go into specifics at the Tower," explained the witch darkly, "but we're not fighting some run-of-the-mill beast."

"As it would turn out, we're not even fighting a demon," Jericho elaborated. Speedy frowned in confusion. "It's a wraith."

"The difference between the two being…?"

"A wraith is a nonliving creature with only the purpose of feeding life energy from a host, whereas demons are immortals intent on using its victims to achieve its goals." Raven ended her flight; her booted heels hit the ground lightly. The party continued on but far slower than before. "The two are very similar except for their motivations."

"Care to elaborate for those of us who regularly skipped Demonology 101?"

"A wraith is a prisoner of the Secondary Negative plane who seeks to escape it by assimilating the life energy of other beings and consume their strength. A demon just wants to conquer and destroy civilization."

Speedy felt as though he was going to be sick. "Oh, that's all?" Raven looked at him glumly. Jericho pretended to be immensely interested in their environment rather than face Speedy.

"We need to be quiet. The wraith can be anywhere, and I'd like some notice if it turns out to be behind us."

"Not that there would be much we could do if it does attack."

"Shut up, Jericho."

"No, what does he mean by that?" asked Speedy. He turned and asked Jericho directly, "What did that mean?"

"Nothing, really. Just that it would be very hard to fight the thing. You can, but its most devastating attacks are of the mind, and there the only way it can be fought off is by willpower."

Raven elaborated, "The wraith will invoke images of your deepest fears in order to disarm you, then exploit the invulnerability to incapacitate your practical thought."

"You'll be a vegetable in a world of images that it creates."

The archer clutched his bow tightly. "So my arrows are scrap?"

"Not necessarily." Raven stopped in front of them shortly, surveyed their surroundings carefully and drew a heavy breath. "Speedy, look around. What do you see?"

"Messed up architecture, for one."

"Exactly my point. These buildings are contorted, it's dark, and everything is covered with soot. All dead giveaways to the evil manifestation growing in this otherwise beautiful mind." She scratched the surface of the cobble street with the toe of her boot, wiping away the blackness and revealing the pearly surface beneath. "In the unconsciousness everything is symbolic. Your arrows represent something: it's your job to figure out what, and to know when to apply them to the situation."

"And when the wraith attacks?"

"Jericho and I have barriers to keep the creature out. My power should be enough to keep you safe as well."

"I'm going to have to settle for 'should be', aren't I?"

"Aqualad knew what he was talking about when he told you to stay out of this."

The trio was interrupted by a heavy rumbling beneath their feet, shaking the ground and foundation of the buildings. In their sills windows cracked and shattered, sending shards of glass careening towards the ground. Raven summoned a dark shielf over their heads.

"What's going on?"

Jericho grabbed Speedy's shoulder. "The wraith must have found Aqualad! We've got to move!"

They took off around the corner of the block, but no sooner had they turned the right angle did the ground explode beneath them, sending all three off their feet and falling towards the earth. Speedy twisted like a cat in mid-air so at least he landed on his feet, but a few yards away Raven's back took the brunt of her impact. Whether it was a good thing or not, Jericho never had a chance to fall: shadowy tentacles had deftly wrapped around his waist, pulling him towards the sky.

"Jericho!" Speedy instinctively took off and lunged, trying to get a grasp on the blonde's hand before it was lifted too far away, but it was to no avail. The boy, dangling upside down by the legs, was torn away from the group too quickly to be caught. Not that Speedy would have been able to put up much of a fight over the boy once he saw the expansiveness of the beast holding him anyway.

He had never seen anything like it before. There was just nothing in the world with which to compare the wraith to; no words could accurately depict the obscure anatomy of the creature. No apparent eyes, but there were countless spiked tentacles with jagged, hooked blades. If he had to settle for something Speedy would say that the thing was so evil that it was painful to look at.

What killed him to see was Aqualad, who's wounded body rested on the soot-cloaked street with splotches of the black powder smudged along the blue of his uniform.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" chanted the witch instinctively, manipulating her dark energy so it took the form of two snake-like whips. The strands of darkness seemed to snake and coil about, attacking the wraith on their own accord, needing little motivation from their creator. As they struck the beast's side they flashed brightly, leaving spots in Speedy's vision.

The witch looked over her shoulder at the two boys. Her eyes were eerily black. "I'll get Jericho! You help Aqualad!"

The archer didn't hesitate, and took off running as the creature was distracted. He ducked and tumbled a stray limb as if flailed blindly at his head. Once he regained his footing he was about a yard away from Aqualad, a distance which he covered on foot.

Garth was on his side, facing away from Speedy. When the archer touched him he shuddered, rolled to his back and squeezed his eyes closed.

He scanned the area for possible escape routes. The door to one of the dark buildings had fallen out of is frame and rested on the broken road, giving them a clear path to shelter.

"C'mon," Roy took Garth by the hands, trying to heave him up to a sitting position. Once the Atlantean was able to sit up by himself Roy slung one of his partner's arms over his shoulder and pulled him to his feet.

It was a short run, and thankfully Aqualad was aware enough to support himself. If he hadn't been then Roy may not have been able to move him at all: Garth was deceptively heavy for his size, what with such dense bones and compacted muscle. He faltered every few steps, forcing Roy to acknowledge his weight every time he had to catch and support him.

After an eternity of dashing, stumbling and strafing to avoid the indifferent tentacles the pair finally managed to get into the building. It looked vaguely like a rundown hotel one might find in old Gotham. It was utterly filthy, support beams had dropped in from the ceiling, and a veil of dust stirred by the earthquake now clouded the air. Speedy cleared his throat and helped Aqualad as far away from the door as possible.

As soon as they had stopped Aqualad dropped to the floor, exhausted. "Roy, what the hell is happening?"

He rolled his eyes. "Like _I _would know."

A shadow loomed up from the floor abruptly, taking the shape of Raven, who was holding the hand of Jericho. From the sagging in her eyes Speedy could tell a good deal of her energy had been spent aiding in their escape.

"What are you doing?" demanded the Atlantean as he finally started to come to. He shook uncontrollably, but it was hard to tell if that was because of fear or anger. "I told you - _all_ of you - to stay out of this! You're in danger!"

Speedy leaned in towards Aqualad and whispered near his ear dryly, "I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Garth: I don't follow directions very well."

"This isn't a joke," he was reprimanded sharply. "I can't say I'm surprised you would pull a reckless stunt like this, Roy, but I thought maybe _you two_ would show some restraint!"

This pointed comment had been directed at Raven and Jericho, both of which looked immensely guilty of disobeying the rules and missed the free exchanging of real names. Jericho wondered if he should maybe try to explain their actions, but upon seeing that Raven wasn't about to offer up any excuses he decided to just keep his mouth shut.

"Don't get angry at them; I asked them for their help."

Aqualad glared at Speedy, then back at the others. "Yes, but they didn't have to comply!"

"Guys, we have seconds before that thing finds us," Jericho reminded them. He still had his hand over his thumping heart.

"Which is why you all need to leave, now," the Atlantean pleaded, "Raven, you're the only one who seems to understand the seriousness of the situation. Talk some sense into him."

The witch frowned. "I… am inclined to agree with Aqualad. This doesn't appear to be a fight that we, regardless of how united we are, can win."

"Pessimists."

"The spells I cast the first time around we enough to seriously injure the creature. This time I was barely able to pry Jericho away from it. The thing is getting too powerful to fend off."

"Okay, so we can't fight it directly. What are our other options?"

Speedy didn't get to hear any alternate ideas, for right then the floor dropped out beneath them with a thunderous crash. More of a reflex than anything, Speedy reached for the wall in hopes of finding something stable. His nails scraped against the wall, some bending backwards painfully, and he dropped in the cloud of dust with the other Titans. Through all the racket it was hard to tell just what was going on, but at least he knew where Garth was: in fact, he felt kind of guilty for landing on top of the Atlantean. Speedy rolled off him as soon as his senses returned.

On hands and knees on the cool concrete of what was presumably the basement of the building, Speedy leaned down and asked, "Are you okay?"

Aqualad moaned weakly in response. "You're a noble idiot, Roy."

It was too dark to see anything, what with the only light being the streams of grayness filtering in from the gaping hole in the floor above. Still, there was an enormous roar of noise that would seem to indicate that something big was moving about them in the shadows.

Sure enough, within a few seconds another great impact threw Speedy into the air - he hadn't any idea how high or far - and he hit a wall with a sickening **thump**. His elbow absorbed most of the impact, and from the intensely painful throbbing the archer had to wonder if maybe it was broken. In his pain he almost didn't hear some one coughed near him, but it was too gentle to be Garth. It had to be Jericho.

"It's attacking Raven!" he told anyone who could hear him. Raven was the only one who really knew what exactly was going on; naturally the creature would go after her first. Speedy grabbed his bow and pulled the shaft over his head. He couldn't see anything, but the moment he could he would fire.

"Fuck, damn it!" When he reached back to pluck an arrow from the quiver his right arm seared with pain. He dropped his bow and clutched his arm protectively.

Speedy moved to take cover behind a fallen section of wall as Jericho shielded himself from a vicious attack. Raven seemed to be completely out of the game as no dark energy was being employed in their defense, and another explosion ripped through their ranks, bringing the ceiling down on their heads. Speedy avoided any further injury by rolling out of the way of a monstrous block of stone, but he was too shaky to stop the dust from flying into his eyes. It burned something fearsome and he wiped his face with his dirty glove. Through the tearing in his eyes he tried to locate his friends.

Aqualad was was the first one he saw. His uniform was torn in several places and his legs had been hidden beneath a slab of stone. Speedy's heart about stopped when he saw the trickle of blood dribbling over his lip and pooling at his chin. Hey black eyes were wide open yet saw nothing. It was quite apparent that he was no longer alive.

Roy fell victim to a surreal coma in which his body and mind completely dissipated to nothing. He lost all cognitive thought in lieu of the idea that it was all over. The thing killed Garth. He was dead.

It looked like Jericho was the only Titan really putting up a fight anymore. Raven was missing. Roy was incapacitated. Garth was… God, he still couldn't accept it. It was incomprehensible. Roy sank to his knees in spite of all the chaos brewing around him. Garth was _dead_.

The wraith broke through Jericho's shield, and the blonde took a furious hit. The last line of defense and it was gone. They were all done for.

"Wait," he murmured, casting an evaluating glance at his arm. How could the bone be broken? He was unconscious: none of this was supposed to be real! Just… symbolic.

Cringing at the tingling pain, Speedy raised to bow shaft and drew the string, balancing the tail of the arrow between his middle and ring fingers. Christ, it hurt, but he refused to give in to the delusion this nightmare was inducing. If Garth was really dead then this entire fight would be over, right? So…

"This isn't real." He grit his teeth and notched an arrow to his bow. He remembered what Raven had told him: the wraith would invoke images to distract him, so he forced every thought of Garth being hurt out of his mind and let his bow do the talking.

The arrow whistled its familiar low tune as it soared upwards, and right when the tip kissed the black flesh of the creature its skin evaporated away, exposing layers of muscle, which then gave way to veins, fat and, finally, to the bone. The disintegration of the wraith had such a stunning effect that even the fairly adept archer didn't see the beast's reaction to the pain.

Speedy shook himself out of the haze clouding his mind and found himself not in some dark basement, but still on the street where he had first spotted Garth being attacked. Everything was foggy, but Raven's dark energy flashed, dragging him back to sense. But even when he heard Aqualad's voice screaming at him, but the words weren't registering in Speedy's mind until it became too late.

"Damn it, Roy! MOVE!"

He didn't have to figure out what that meant: accelerating quickly towards his face was a massive, skeletal hand bearing jagged claws (Speedy didn't know until that point the wraith even _had _claws), and just before the wraith would have been able to strike a lethal blow Speedy disappeared without warning from the unreality.

---

It felt like he had been asleep for an year, able to hear the outside world but incapable of interacting with it. Speedy's senses drifted back painfully slowly, his sight coming in at last place, and he realized that he was no longer in the battle.

He was on the floor of the warded room, dragged off to the edge of the chamber. Starfire was at his side with his legs elevated and head resting in her lap. Her warm fingers threaded through his hair gently With no regard to her protest Speedy sat up bolt right.

"No!" he roared upon seeing Raven and Jericho recovering nearby. "Send me back! He needs help! We can still-!"

"Speedy," intoned Starfire gently, "You have been unconscious for nearly a droknarg. Time is… no longer of the essence."

He fell still, though this didn't last. Soon he was thrashing to escape her grasp once more, but the Tameranian wasn't going to just let him escape.

"Let me see him! Get off! I have to see him!"

Eyes all around the room fell downwards, some welling with unbridled tears. Perhaps the most impressive show of emotional strength came from Bumblebee, who had arrived not ten minutes before. She had made a point of not asking unnecessary questions, and upon sensing the urgency of the situation she hand sent the twins away to look for Silkie.

Somehow Bumlebee had become the foundation that held the Titans together. They saw her unwaveringly brush a black fly-away from Aqualad's still face and, despite the raging grief that Speedy was orchestrating in the background, she did not so much as flinch. Cyborg had to give her immense credit, for had it been he standing next to a dead Beast Boy he'd be, without a doubt, a total wreck.


	6. Grief

Robin was glued to Raven's side after the renegade trio had been drawn back to consciousness. He was with her as they moved the exhausted members of their team into the infirmary where they could be treated comfortably, away from the sheet-covered stillness of their fallen friend. He took a vigilant post next to her bed as she lay healing; recovering. And though he hadn't tried to rip answers out of the witch his stifling presence was more than enough to hint at what he wanted.

"The beast subdued me and neutralized my magic. I wasn't able to protect the others from the illusions. Speedy broke out of it and attacked, distracting it enough so that I could free myself, but there was no way that he could muster enough force to fend off the evil." Raven turned away and fought the growing pain in her throat. "There was no time to think, just to act. I had to save the Titans that I could save."

How could Aqualad not be among that group? They both thought it, but neither manifested the emotion in words.

Robin looked down the row of beds, barely able to see the bright red of Speedy's uniform around Cyborg as he moved among the patients. Then he returned his attention to Raven.

"You did more than any of us could. Without you we never would have known how to handle this."

"But what good was it?" she burst out throatily. The glass of water on her beside table exploded in a flash and shatter. All eyes automatically turned their direction, then, as if politely leaving her to her grief, looked away as if that were entirely normal. As the water dripped freely from table to tile floor Raven harnessed control of her emotion and spoke far more quietly, "I still couldn't help him."

Robin slowly pulled off his right glove and ran his hand over his black hair. A finger caught on a snag (a result of being tussled since this nightmare began only several hours before) which he couldn't find the energy to address at that moment. "You aren't responsible. The only person who is - this _Medium_ - will face the consequences for what he has done."

"You can bet your ass he will," intoned Bumblebee. The young woman had become invisible to the others when she took to a chair in the corner of the room, Mas sitting on her left thigh and Menos' arms wrapped around her neck. The collar of her shirt was hot and wet where his tears had freely trickled down her skin and disappeared into the absorbency of the material. "I'll personally see to it that he rots in the smallest jail cell Steel Correctional has until he's nothing but dust."

Her cool venom was so controlled it was eerie. Her voice lingered like a hook in their hearts, which was so unnatural for something said by Bumblebee. But her thoughts were preoccupied by how this pretty much ended Titans East.

Still hugging Mas around the shoulders and patting Menos' back, Bumblebee took a second to check out Speedy. The archer was laying on the gurney, unmoving, his arm resting over his masked eyes. Aside from a few dry sobs and long exhales he hadn't said a thing since Starfire and Cyborg had forcefully dragged him from the warded chamber. Bumblebee supposed that she should probably brace the twins for Speedy's inevitable departure. She didn't hold it against him, but Speedy wasn't the type to stick around when things got too personal.

She wasn't sure how personal things had become between him and Aqualad, but footage from the security cameras hinted at something forming between the two that was completely beyond the simple friendship they displayed when in the public eye.

Whatever had happened, Speedy was about to take off. It was just his nature; no blaming him for that. Bumblebee nuzzled Menos' hair, kissing him in a motherly way.

An alarm sounded overhead, causing most occupants of the room to jump in surprise. The members of Titans West recognized the peculiar tone immediately. One of the security lasers on the property had been tripped.

"I will go," Starfire said, and she darted out of the room at full speed.

Beast Boy thought back to the last time that sensor had been set off. What a bitter irony that it had been Aqualad to do it: he had dragged himself up from the depths to the Tower to warn them about the sonic cannon Brother Blood was developing off the coast. His heart began to thump hard in his chest as he remembered the Atlantean, battered from his lost battle and covered in sea kelp. He'd lost but refused to give up, and through their determination they had conquered Blood.

Now Blood was gone, and so was Aqualad. Dead because of a stupid bank robbery. Beast Boy covered his face with his hands, his teeth grinding together. He hoped no one would notice him in his dark corner, trying to be the tough but emotional guy.

He was fortunate in at least that. Starfire returned at that moment, but she wasn't alone. Behind her loomed a figure that was indistinguishable until he stepped into the light.

"It would seem we have a visitor."

He was a tall man, clad in red and black, with blonde hair and tan skin. His eyes were inhumanly expansive, very similar to Aqualad's, but instead were light blue. When he spoke it was a strong, gruff voice.

"I apologize for my intrusion, but I… There was a sudden shift in the energies and I recognized traces of an old friend of mine. Please, I know that Aqualad resides with the Teen Titans: has something happened to him?"

"Who the hell're you?" asked Speedy ungracefully. He sat up, shaking the gurney in a dangerous way. His eyes narrowed at the newcomer suspiciously for her knew that Aqualad had no living immediate family, yet the man before them was clearly an Atlantean.

"Of course. I am called-"

"Aquaman." All eyes shot over to Robin, who had voiced this tidbit of information on his own accord. "You were Aqualad's mentor."

The blonde man nodded his confirmation.

"By your use of past tense I'd hazard a guess that my former student indeed isn't doing so well," mused Aquaman quietly. But, of course, he had already known this.

---

"Prince Garth, or Aqualad, was royal blood. When he passed on everyone in Atlantis felt it," Aquaman was explaining to the Titans. He hadn't asked to see the body, which may have been for the best. None of the Titans cared to show him where it was.

"Please, is there anyone whom should be contacted?" asked Starfire. Everyone was glad the alien was willing to take on that kind of responsibility.

"Unfortunately, his parents are both deceased, as is most of his extended family. He has a living uncle in Poseidonis, but they were not close."

"So are you here to share your sympathy or just reinforce the fact that he wasn't good enough to live with his own people?"

"Speedy!"

"You are entitled to your misgivings," conceded the hero patiently, "And I confess that I did come here with an official purpose in addition to my personal reasons. I bear a message from the Monarch of Atlantis. It is the king's decree that Garth's… Aqualad's exile be revoked."

"A little late for that," Speedy whispered mostly to himself, though others nearby did hear.

"This isn't easy to say," Aquaman drew a deep breath for strength, "but it is his will that Aqualad's body be returned and laid to rest amongst his own people."

This announcement drew a loud and immediate eruption of protests throughout the room.

"No way!"

"He was one of us way longer than one of them!"

"That is an unacceptable decree that does not bring us joy!"

"I'm very sorry, my friends, but we Atlanteans believe in very strict funeral rites. They must be followed through so that Aqualad's spirit can be restored to the life cycle properly."

Speedy looked around him. It seemed everybody suddenly wanted to bite a chunk out of Aquaman but himself and Raven. He was too emotionally drained to put up much of a worthwhile protest, and Raven likely didn't argue because she believed in preserving cultural customs. She had already interfered too much for her liking today.

In one last ditch effort to reinstate his point Aquaman started, "The people of Atlantis-"

"Don't have a say in the matter!" interrupted Bumblebee furiously with tears in her eyes. It was the first time the Titans had seen her even begin to crack. "He will be buried here: the home that took him in when the first one threw him out!"

While more temperamental Titans like Beast Boy, Bumblebee, Starfire and Cyborg ripped into the Atlantean mercilessly everyone else just sort of fell back, unable to put their anger into words.

Though Robin was shaking with rage. He couldn't take it.

"Listen to yourselves!" he screamed at the group as a whole, "He isn't somebody's dead pet! Figure it out so that he can die with some dignity!"

The Boy Wonder whirled and stormed out of the lab.

---

No sooner had the bedroom door slid closed behind him was Robin bombarded with questions from a voice resonating from a room that should have been empty.

"You alright?"

Robin sagged against the wall and waved a hand in the general direction of the infirmary, aggravated. "I can't sit and listen to them fight over his body like he wasn't a real person."

"I wouldn't be too hard on Aquaman. He's just trying to smoothen relationships between the surface and Atlantis by making an attempt. I doubt he really expects, or even wants, to take Aqualad."

"He was convincing enough."

Robin had not been surprised to find Batman in his room. His adoptive father was a very aloof character who preferred keeping a low profile, yet always seemed to know what was going on with the people. Funny thing was that his former partner was very similar, yet Robin wasn't angry that Batman had invaded the sanctity of his chambers. Frankly, he could use a comforting word.

"What are you doing here?"

Batman murmered, "One would have hoped that the Titans would have abandoned the communicators after the battle with the Brotherhood of Evil. Alfred checks in on the frequency every so often. He says hello, by the way. Are you alright?"

Finally the Titan stuttered heavily, "Yes. No. I don't know. I guess we all grew accustomed to the idea that nothing could ever really hurt us."

Batman seemed to understand this. "It's a common mistake made when overconfidence causes you to drop your guard, teenager and adult. Unfortunately, it takes a death to snap us out of it."

"It's just… We've never lost a Titan before. Somehow we've always come through in once piece."

"Hmm, not exactly. Though your generation has never lost a teammate that's not to say it hasn't happened before." The alter ego of Bruce Wayne stalked across the room to his former apprentice and sat. Robin recognized his stiff, firm posture in the chair, likely a habit from years of being brought up as a wealthy child. "Teenage heroes have been putting their lives on the line for decades. Aqualad wasn't the first to give the ultimate sacrifice. As sad as it is, I doubt he'll be the last."

"You know of any others?" asked the Boy Wonder, not really interested and only partially listening. Batman shrugged.

"No one you would have heard of. Unfortunately, their identities, as well as those of the other deceased heroes, have been lost to time. The world goes on, survivors resume their lives, and memories are forgotten." Batman spared a glance at Robin, who was pondering all this with a grimace of utmost seriousness. "Do you still think about your parents?"

"Every day," retorted the boy. Batman seemed suspicious of his answer.

"You mean there hasn't been a single day gone by in the past few years you haven't dwelled on their deaths?" asked the guardian of Gotham. Robin didn't say anything. "I didn't think so. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but you and your teammates will overcome this. You may wake up every day and think about your fallen friend for weeks and wonder what he would be doing if he were alive and you'll torture yourselves unnecessarily with 'what-if' scenarios because that is what we human beings do. But someday in the future you'll wake up in the morning, go to the bathroom and start your routine. You'll eat breakfast and you'll go fight crime before lunch. You'll go through your whole day and he won't come into your mind at all, and then you'll do it all over again the next morning. He won't haunt you constantly and you'll resume your life. And you may feel guilty when you do think about him again, but don't. No one wants to die thinking their causing their loves ones pain."

Batman got up and started to leave. "Remember the good things," he added as an afterthought, "Because years down the road Aqualad will be forgotten altogether. It will happen to me, it will happen to you, and it will happen to every great crime fighter this world has ever known. All we can do is live in the moment. Now go be with your team and make them understand what I've just told you. They need to see their leader being strong."

The greatest of superheroes Robin had ever known left silently and unseen by anyone else in the tower. It was time he let the healing process begin in the young crime fighters, and for that to begin they had to end the funeral.

---

Speedy was lurking about on the roof of the Titans West tower, gazing over the peaceful harbor in deep thought. Aquaman hadn't come alone: there were five other Atlanteans residing on the island's beach, waiting to take Garth away.

They would be getting what they wanted. After Robin's pep talk the Titans had finally been able to force themselves to let go. Roy was strangely alright with it. He doubted he would have gone to any earth-bound gravesite, anyway. Garth was water, not earth. And, all other reasons aside, it wasn't like Speedy even visited his father's burial site very often.

That was why Mia Dearden, current trainee of Green Arrow, had to debate with herself about whether or not she wanted to start bugging her predecessor about his life right then. It took some mental coaching, but finally she did let her presence be known.

"Excuse me?"

Roy didn't even look back. Just sort of snorted and said, "Can't you see I'm in the middle of living out my emotional angst? Go away."

"You're just as polite as Green Arrow led me to believe," muttered Mia. This did get Speedy's attention; he tore his eyes away from the ocean water and gave her a cool once-over.

"I heard my former partner was lugging around some new baggage. I thought he was decidedly out of the training business?"

"It took some arm twisting."

"Of course. His first shot at having an apprentice didn't exactly live up to expectations."

"He doesn't think that anymore," Mia felt a little more comfortable and allowed herself to get a bit closer to Speedy and sit near him on the overhang.

"He also knows I don't give a damn what he thinks."

"Yes, he's got that one figured out, too."

"Is that why he sent you rather than coming to see me himself?"

"Are you upset that a man you supposedly don't care about couldn't make the trip?" He glared at her for that little remark but she just shook her head. "Black Canary just had to remind him that, superhero or not, you're still a kid. He's not as bitter as he was before, and I think that, if you're not too spiteful, it might benefit you guys to just talk."

"Not interested, thanks."

Mia sighed. "Still too spiteful."

For a while neither of them spoke. As the sun set sleepily over the horizon the distant city was bathed in a gentle orange light while the clouds in the sky reflected off a relaxing purple. The world was still turning, Speedy realized, and this rattled up his insides a little. Had the news of the death of a Teen Titan had been broadcasted on a special news report yet? Most people wouldn't know until they saw the newspaper headlines the next morning, probably.

Morning was still going to come tomorrow, even if Garth did not. For some reason that seemed impossible.

Then that girl spoke up again. "Need an ear to vent that emotional angst on?"

"No."

"Oh, I see. You're going to do what everyone else is and constantly blame yourself for what happened, even though there's no way in which you're remotely responsible."

"Exactly. Buh-bye now."

"Really, how can any of this be your fault? From what I hear you weren't anywhere near him at the time."

"Didn't have to be in order to be the cause. I was the one who left him vulnerable enough to be taken over by the demonic whatever," he said, scowling at himself, "If I hadn't tried to ruin his life because he tried to save mine then this evil wouldn't have been able to get into his system, and he would still be alive. None of this would have happened."

"But… Then what would be the point?" asked the apprentice. Speedy frowned at her, prompting her to explain. "The evil would have had to have gone somewhere, wouldn't it? If it had not gone to Aqualad, then it could have manifested in some innocent civilian. Wasn't Aqualad there to protect the innocents in the first place?"

Speedy tried to put her down. "You just don't understand."

"I think I do." She shifted in her place and braced for retaliation. "You're being very selfish, toying with the idea of sacrificing a person you don't know for some one that you do. I didn't know Aqualad, true, but I'd be willing to bet by the sheer number of friends he has here to grieve his death that Aqualad was the type who would give up his life for anyone in a heartbeat. Am I right?"

The red-clad archer's eyes bore into her for what seemed like an eternity before he finally returned his gaze to the water. He half-expected Aqualad to dive up from the depths at any moment. His imagination was so vivid he could almost see the other.

"What do you call yourself?" he asked the girl. A little taken back by the out-of-place question, she had to think about it.

"I haven't quite picked a new superhero handle yet. I'm still kind of new to the trade."

"Take mine," said the red head surely.

"You mean call myself Speedy?"

"It's better than Quickie, isn't it?"

The comment forced the girl to smirk, but something still irked at her about the deal. "So, then… What will you call yourself, Titans-East-Member-Formerly-Known-As-Speedy?"

Roy Harper got to his feet, sighed and put his hands in his pockets. Before leaving he corrected lightly, "I just went solo. As Arsenal."


End file.
